T5 Lighting question

[nrgizerrod]

For anyone using T5's in their winter lighting setups. What temp are you mainly using? all 6500k? mix of 6500k and 3000K?

I'm currently running all 6500 (4' x 4 bulb fixture) and i'm wondering if there would be any value in throwing in a couple warm bulbs. I do have a south exposure which i believe may already provide a good amount of the red spectrum....

 

[Vinnie Charity]

I'm running one of these for my larger indoor trees...



...and one of these for my smaller indoor trees



They are installed in a metal rack that normally sits in front of the window, but has been moved temporarily because of the Christmas tree. The trees are doing great so far.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

6500K all the way! More plants tend to respond in a positive sense to it.
3000K gets more response in my tropicals, but overall I and the plants prefer 6500K or as close to it as possible.

But it really depends on the type of plant you're growing.

 

[nrgizerrod]

I have a couple tropicals, some crassula, a serissa and a variety of succulents. They are all doing very well under the current set up so I probably don't need to mess with it but i want MOAR GROWS!

 

[Vinnie Charity]

I have a couple tropicals, some crassula, a serissa and a variety of succulents. They are all doing very well under the current set up so I probably don't need to mess with it but i want MOAR GROWS!

What is your current setup @nrgizerrod?

 

[August44]

So Vinnie, with your sun blaze 22, if you put a light meter where the plants are when the light is on, what does it register? How big of an area does it cover? Thanks, Peter

 

[Vinnie Charity]

So Vinnie, with your sun blaze 22, if you put a light meter where the plants are when the light is on, what does it register? How big of an area does it cover? Thanks, Peter

I'll have to find out, though I don't have a light meter @Peter44. I do have a light meter app on my phone that measures Lux, I'm just not sure how accurate it is. I'll measure at various distances when I get home.

 

[f1pt4]

https://eyehortilux.com/grow-lights/powerveg-family/

supplement your supplemental lighting with these.

I have noticed significant differences in growth, internodes, and overall well being (less bugs and more perkiness). But you gotta make sure your other factors are in check. Watering, humidity, air circulation. They also run cool. Go Full Spectrum if anything.

I posted this in another thread as well. I'll stop now.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

https://eyehortilux.com/grow-lights/powerveg-family/

supplement your supplemental lighting with these.

I have noticed significant differences in growth, internodes, and overall well being (less bugs and more perkiness). But you gotta make sure your other factors are in check. Watering, humidity, air circulation. They also run cool. Go Full Spectrum if anything.

I posted this in another thread as well. I'll stop now.

Really digging these lights, they don't make them in 3 footers though. If I decide to give up the search and go with 2 footers (or just get a 4' shelving unit and get 4 footers), I'll look into them.

Thanks again for the link and info...

 

[f1pt4]

Really digging these lights, they don't make them in 3 footers though. If I decide to give up the search and go with 2 footers (or just get a 4' shelving unit and get 4 footers), I'll look into them.

Thanks again for the link and info...

The price difference between 2' and 4' for PowerVeg bulbs from the store I get em from is 7$ Canadian. For that price difference, eat it and go 4' Even if it means running them on single tube ballasts.

 

[f1pt4]

also.. somebody posted this on this site a few years ago. I copied it onto my clipboard. I'm sure you can find the full post if you search long enough.

to make life easier, I'll just paste it here. I'm not the author of these calculations.


-------------------
Just finished measuring with a par meter and did the conversion. Figured I'd post up the results in case anyone is interested.

Bulbs are 6500k from Amazon. 54w t5ho, with individual reflectors touching each other. So bulbs are about 3" apart. Measurements were taken directly in the middle of the two bulbs where the light is the strongest due to overlap. This is with two bulbs.

Distance from bulb / output
@bulb = 1000 par/74,000 lux
@6" = 480 par/ 35,520 lux
@12" = 220 par/ 16,280 lux
@18" = 130 par/ 9620 lux
@24" = 92 par/ 1776 lux

Same setup WITHOUT individual reflectors. This shows how much more light you can get with the reflectors:

@bulb = same numbers
@6" = 140 par/ 10,360 lux
@12" = 66 par/ 4884 lux
@18" = 32 par/ 2368 lux

Looks like I should be pretty good. I might try some agromax bulbs to see if they put out a little more. I know in aquaria, good bulbs can put out significantly more than cheap amazon/ebay stuff like these. Stands to reason it's the same with horticulture bulbs.

---------------------

The only two things I have copied onto my clipboard from this site are this chart and Vance's Mugo Bible.

 

[nrgizerrod]

@Vinnie Charity

I have the hydrofarm agrobrite flt44. 4'x4 bulb light. The windows are south and east facing. i decided to lave the bulbs alone and chopping some of lilac branches outside that were blocking the light. who plants a lilac in front of a window?!?!?! the previous owners were smoking some high grade smack. everything is thriving.

Edit - i picked up the light at the beginning of December for $60. it's now up to $130 on amazon... i don't know if i got lucky....

 

[f1pt4]

@Vinnie Charity

I have the hydrofarm agrobrite flt44. 4'x4 bulb light. The windows are south and east facing. i decided to lave the bulbs alone and chopping some of lilac branches outside that were blocking the light. who plants a lilac in front of a window?!?!?! the previous owners were smoking some high grade smack. everything is thriving.

View attachment 223025

In your case, the sun is your UV bulb.
I'd remove that tall one, back right from under your lights, and lower them way down. Especially if you keep them on when the sun is asleep.

And in a perfect world, put heat mats with a thermostat under the ones that are on the window sill.

Your trees will thank you. most likely.

 

[nrgizerrod]

@f1pt4

Yeah, the light is normally lowered to the top of the posts which is 6-8" from the tops of the trees. It's hard to tell from this angle but the light is aligned with the wire rack and they are the same depth. Everything not on the rack is getting indirect light from the lamp.

I plan on building a proper platform/table to replace the wire shelf sans annoying posts and with more surface area. The light slipped out of my hand one day when i was lowering and it slammed in to the post tops, thankfully it hit the frame and not the bulb. phew!

I've been looking in to heat mats for some seeds i got as a Christmas gift. I didn't think about putting anything under the trees though! I will definitely take you advice in to consideration!

The PAR/Lux info you posted is great as well, thanks for that.

 

[f1pt4]

@f1pt4

Yeah, the light is normally lowered to the top of the posts which is 6-8" from the tops of the trees. It's hard to tell from this angle but the light is aligned with the wire rack and they are the same depth. Everything not on the rack is getting indirect light from the lamp.

I plan on building a proper platform/table to replace the wire shelf sans annoying posts and with more surface area. The light slipped out of my hand one day when i was lowering and it slammed in to the post tops, thankfully it hit the frame and not the bulb. phew!

I've been looking in to heat mats for some seeds i got as a Christmas gift. I didn't think about putting anything under the trees though! I will definitely take you advice in to consideration!

The PAR/Lux info you posted is great as well, thanks for that.

Its all about keeping those roots warm! You'd be surprised on how cold it gets by the window, even though your ambient temp is at a comfortable setting.

and mist.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

UV doesn't penetrate glass a whole lot. Most home glass types actually block close to 70% of UV light to prevent damage to the interior and human eyes. When doing spectometry, specialized quartz glass is used because both plastics and high grade glass filter out large portions of the UV spectrum. With a price range of around 80 bucks per square inch, it's quite expensive to cover a single window with quartz glass.
When growing under glass or plastic, it's safer to say little to no UV light reaches the plants. The actual number could be somewhere in between 0-35% of outdoor light.

Of course, there's always an option to raise the individual plants instead of lowering the lights.

 

[f1pt4]

UV doesn't penetrate glass a whole lot. Most home glass types actually block close to 70% of UV light to prevent damage to the interior and human eyes. When doing spectometry, specialized quartz glass is used because both plastics and high grade glass filter out large portions of the UV spectrum. With a price range of around 80 bucks per square inch, it's quite expensive to cover a single window with quartz glass.
When growing under glass or plastic, it's safer to say little to no UV light reaches the plants. The actual number could be somewhere in between 0-35% of outdoor light.

Of course, there's always an option to raise the individual plants instead of lowering the lights.

Yes, but 30% is still better than 0% like in my basement!

raise the trees or lower the lights, I figured lowering is easier as they are set up on a pully system.

I agree with you 100% though, not enough UV penetrates the glass for optimum growing. I have a bunch of portulacarias. I grow some on my south facing bay window in the winter, and some in my basement under lights. Both are on heat mats set at 73F. The ones in my basement under a single UV light and two 6400 lights are doing much much better.

 

[nrgizerrod]

so swapping out one of the bulbs for a UV may provide some benefit?

 

[f1pt4]

so swapping out one of the bulbs for a UV may provide some benefit?

It won't hurt them. So my money is on yes. Place it in one of the middle channels, as opposed to the edges. Get the full spectrum UV one.

 

[f1pt4]

One more thing, that I found works for me.

I have all of my high humidity trees (schefflera/ficus) together, and my low humidity (portulacaria/crassula) trees together. This way when you mist, you can really soak the high humidity ones and not worry about offending the low humidity ones.

Also noticed green algae in your trays. I'd clean that out as best you can, or get new trays to prevent fungus, disease and bugs. Your humidity in that photo is 77%. Which is great for ficuses, but maybe to humid for the cactus? I'm not a cacti expert.